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Thu, 05/22/2008 - 10:06am
In fact, hippotherapy is defined as "therapy using the movement of the horse", and it is a therapy that in the last ten years has become increasingly popular for children with a wide variety of special needs.
According to Donna Cordova, a physical therapist at Ironstone Farm in Andover, children work on multiple goals at once on horseback. "Through this multi-modal approach, kids work on balance, strength, motor planning, visual awareness and speech and language at the same time".
But do not expect therapeutic horseback riding to look like recreational horseback riding. Parents are often taken aback when their children ride the horse backwards, sideways, standing, sitting on a beach ball, and lying down. Unlike traditional horseback riding lessons, this is not about horsemanship. It is about physical therapy.
And the children taking advantage of this unique physical therapy setting are as young as 9 months old. At Ironstone Farm in Andover, children from nine Early Intervention programs throughout Massachusetts participate in weekly therapy sessions on horseback.
This weekly trip to the farm gives the children and their families an opportunity to enjoy the outdoors and participate in an
activity in a community setting, rather than in a therapy room or their homes.
For Natalie, a 2-year-old girl with Down syndrome, the effect is clear. As she gets out of her car at Ironstone Farm, she starts gesturing excitedly. The sign for "horse" and "hat" intermix as she urges her mother to strap on her riding helmet. This may be good for her strength and balance, but all she knows is the sun is shining and for the next half hour life is a pony ride.
For information about the many therapy services offered at Ironstone Farm, or to volunteer on the farm, visit www.challengeunlimited.org, or call (978) 475-4056.
Barbara Didona has three young daughters and works as a training consultant for Moore Center Services in Manchester, NH. She lives in Chelmsford and in her free time writes articles and dreams about more free time
Pony Rides offer skill building and smiles for kids with special needs
By Barbara DidonaWhen most people hear the word hippotherapy, the jokes are as inevitable as they are predictable. They feature either a person riding a hippopotamus, or a hippopotamus stretched on a therapist's couch. People can't seem to help themselves.In fact, hippotherapy is defined as "therapy using the movement of the horse", and it is a therapy that in the last ten years has become increasingly popular for children with a wide variety of special needs.
According to Donna Cordova, a physical therapist at Ironstone Farm in Andover, children work on multiple goals at once on horseback. "Through this multi-modal approach, kids work on balance, strength, motor planning, visual awareness and speech and language at the same time".
But do not expect therapeutic horseback riding to look like recreational horseback riding. Parents are often taken aback when their children ride the horse backwards, sideways, standing, sitting on a beach ball, and lying down. Unlike traditional horseback riding lessons, this is not about horsemanship. It is about physical therapy.
And the children taking advantage of this unique physical therapy setting are as young as 9 months old. At Ironstone Farm in Andover, children from nine Early Intervention programs throughout Massachusetts participate in weekly therapy sessions on horseback.
This weekly trip to the farm gives the children and their families an opportunity to enjoy the outdoors and participate in an
activity in a community setting, rather than in a therapy room or their homes. For Natalie, a 2-year-old girl with Down syndrome, the effect is clear. As she gets out of her car at Ironstone Farm, she starts gesturing excitedly. The sign for "horse" and "hat" intermix as she urges her mother to strap on her riding helmet. This may be good for her strength and balance, but all she knows is the sun is shining and for the next half hour life is a pony ride.
For information about the many therapy services offered at Ironstone Farm, or to volunteer on the farm, visit www.challengeunlimited.org, or call (978) 475-4056.
Barbara Didona has three young daughters and works as a training consultant for Moore Center Services in Manchester, NH. She lives in Chelmsford and in her free time writes articles and dreams about more free time
